11# Propane questions

[apratt]

Arthur...is the 5# bottle connected to the same valve the 1# tank connects to or do you have that valve by-passed and connected directly to the burner......
madjack

Ahh good point!!! Yes I have the 5# pound bottle connected to the same valve that the 1# connect to.

[Dale M.]

If you are referring to a the hose/connector to tank that has adjustment knob( Coleman camp stove), yes it has a form of regulation of sorts, though its probably nothing more than a needle valve...

IF hose connect directly to tank, and only form of control is "volume" knob on appliance there is not any regulation....

And YES I'm all for propane safety I haver been pushing back on myths and legends and untruths in lampworking (glass bead making and glass sculpture work) for the last 5 years and have 200 + hours on just researching the subject.........

Did you know if you have more than 2 #1 disposable cylinders stored in your residence ( attached garage is part of residence) you are in violation of NFPA regulations......

IF you store a #20 cylinder in your garage you are in violation of NFPA regulations (yes even if its part of the BBQ you have stored in garage)....

IF you use a catalytic heater in your home or in attached garage you are in violation of having a #20 tank in residence....

Most state, county, city codes and regulations are bases of NFPA regulations! So you probable are practicing poor propane safety and dont even know it.

Dale

[madjack]

yep...in accordance with NFPA regulations, you cannot store more than 2.5#s of propane in an area used for residential purposes...I was talking about the valve that the 1#cannisters screw into and they are preset regulators...some of them have volume controls and some do not but if the 1#bottles screw directly into them, they are self-regulating valves...my main point was that you cannot hook a tank of any kind directly to an appliance without some sort of regulator in the line, regardless of whether or not there is a volume control on the burner....
madjack

p.s. I am a previous holder of a journeymans license in plumbing and gas fitting for the States of Louisiana, Colorado, Texas and Mississippi and numerous localities including Alexandria, Baton Rouge, Houston, Jackson, Denver and Grand Co........MJ

p.p.s. In almost all cases, I store all of my propane/acetylene/MAPP gases outside of the house in open air areas...on my new Td build, I am going to a 11# tank which will be stored/carried on the tongue......MJ

[kayakrguy]

I double checked our stove manual....Ozark Trail brand made by Brinkman. The doohickie connecting the stove to the #1 tank is referred to as regulator assembly and regulator. The 'assembly-device' is not a 'hose' but a metal pipe which screws onto the stove fitting at one end and on to the 1# bottle on the other.

Our stove has functioned fairly well so far but some online reviews are less than enthusiatic about quality and ability to get replacement parts...if that 'regulator assembly' goes apparently you're out of luck. Brinkman's website does not offer replacement parts for their camp stoves. I suspect they make these for 'off brand' retail folks like Wal Mart etc...

http://www.trailspace.com/gear/ozark-tr ... ane-stove/

[madjack]

Jim, I have one of those as well...I bought it because it was small and cheap...at the time we were tent camping out of a Toyota Corolla and space was an issue and my CI 2 burner stove top (and big tank) were just too big to carry with us...it is cheap to the max and we will be looking to replace it...I will continue to use the Ci 2 burner but have been considering a Coleman RoadTrip grill for it's vesatility, I am just a little afraid of something that is supposed to do "everything" since often, it does nothing well...
madjack

[kayakrguy]

Art,

Does your Brinkman stove have the metal pipe 'regulator assembly'? What hose are you using with that? Also, Dale and Bob, where did you get the hoses you show in your pictures???

thanks,

Jim

[madjack]

Jim, those hoses can be bought at most sporting goods, camping supply, bulk propane dist. or WalMarts...they can be bought online from Coleman, Century and most online sporting goods places such as Cabela's, SportsmansGuide or REI(and many others) or enter "propane regulators" or "propane accessories" into Google for lotssa choices...they usually sell for around 20+ bucks for a 5' hose...
madjack

[kayakrguy]

MJ and gang...

Ditto with our stove...tent etc. I MUCH prefer the propane to the modified kerosene stoves we used to use!!

I assume that an adaptor hose I got for the Brinkman would fit other gas campstoves' regulators that attached to the 1 # cans??--Coleman would likely be my choice as that is what we used for years...

Re: safety...my 20#'s (I keep 2 so I won't run out while cooking the steaks are on the patio...wouldn't even think of storing them in the garage...but I do have two 1 #'s out there. The saving grace is that my garage door is so leaky that the place is easily semi-outdoors. In the summer the window is always cracked....the problem with propane is that it is heavier than air and can accumulate in pockets at ground, floor or whatever the lowest level is...then, a spark, etc and.....well, you know

Jim

[madjack]

yep..the threads onna 1# can are basically universal so that they will fit all stove brands ditto on the hoses that adapt 'em..
madjack

p.s. Keep in mine that there are other hoses for other applications...

[apratt]

Art,

Does your Brinkman stove have the metal pipe 'regulator assembly'? What hose are you using with that? Also, Dale and Bob, where did you get the hoses you show in your pictures???

thanks,

Jim

Jim, I didn't post no pics. Yes my stove does have a metal tube with a little presure regular ( I assume that what it is ) that screws into the stove on the side then I used a adapter hose from it to the 5# bottle. The hose adapter looks like the one someone posted on this thread.


Smokeybob posted a picture of the hose that I used. I got my hose from my local sporting goods store.

[Dale M.]

yep...in accordance with NFPA regulations, you cannot store more than 2.5#s of propane in an area used for residential purposes...I was talking about the valve that the 1#cannisters screw into and they are preset regulators...some of them have volume controls and some do not but if the 1#bottles screw directly into them, they are self-regulating valves...my main point was that you cannot hook a tank of any kind directly to an appliance without some sort of regulator in the line, regardless of whether or not there is a volume control on the burner....
madjack

p.s. I am a previous holder of a journeymans license in plumbing and gas fitting for the States of Louisiana, Colorado, Texas and Mississippi and numerous localities including Alexandria, Baton Rouge, Houston, Jackson, Denver and Grand Co........MJ

p.p.s. In almost all cases, I store all of my propane/acetylene/MAPP gases outside of the house in open air areas...on my new Td build, I am going to a 11# tank which will be stored/carried on the tongue......MJ

I'll accept your information that the hoses supplied with appliance(s) may be equiped with regulators..... Argument about it is moot....

Main thing is that the safety aspect of how we handle and store the propane...

Dale

[SmokeyBob]

Jim
I got mine at a local RV dealer near where I live. As others have said you can find them at just about any place that sells camping supplies. Or you can find them online. There are different hoses for different applications. Just make sure you get the one you want.

[madjack]

Dale, I wasn't referring to hoses but to the control valve that the 1# cylinders attach to...and yes, safe handling of all our dangerous gasses is most important (sorry, I couldn't help it)
madjack

[exminnesotaboy]

I picked up a 4.5lb bulk cylinder and a hose similar to this:



Can anyone tell me if one of these gauges works with this small size cylinder? I know the connections will mate up, but since they are designed for the traditional 20lb cylinders, I wasn't sure if their full/low/empty basic functions will actually be accurate and worthwhile for the smaller tank.



I am open to other suggestions on how to identify when it is getting low...thanks for any suggestions/input

[Dale M.]

Yes that gauge will work..... Any tank LARGER than a #1(disposable) that has a standard POL/OPD valve which is industry standard for tanks up to #100 or maybe larger will accept that gauge.

The problem with the gauge is Propane being a LP gas, the pressure in tank is temperature dependant. If its really a cold morning tank may read like 70psi (low?) as day heats up pressure may go up to 145 psi (full?)... The gauge will only really be accurate just before you actually go empty when there is actually little or no LIQUID in tank to boil off to vapor... Usually a gauge will read full for a long time then rapidly swing to empty (because of pressure/temperature dependency) it could actually happen in course of a single day of usage so it really does not give you any warning. It is not like fuel gauge in car which registers fuel used or remaining...

Easy way to tell how much liquid is in tank is to boil a quart or two of water... Then dribble it slowly over side of tank.... It will warm area of tank above liquid level, by running hand down tank side you can feel level where liquid is, that is most accurate method of "field" testing tank.... Its the liquid level that is indicator of how full tank actually is.

Other method is to weigh tank. Propane weighs in about 4.7 pounds to gallon so after subtracting tank weigh, the remain weight is amount of fuel in tank... Tare weight of tank should be stamped in safety rig of tan... A #20 tank (about 4.7 gallons) weighs in about 18-20 pounds empty (tare), and about 37-38 pounds full.... So a #5 tank contains about 1 gallon of fuel when full, a #11 tank contains about 2 gallons of fuel when fuel a #14.5 is about 3.5 gallons when full ... But who takes scales camping with them....

Other option to see how full tank is may be one of these...

http://www.buytikitorches.com/category/ ... ccessories

Tad bit expensive for me though....

Dale